The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 04: Come On In

[TarnishedPenny]

I'm going to hike around the yard for awhile while I mow the lawn.

Breakfast was two eggs on toast and two sausage patties. Peaches are in season, and I'm contemplating fried peaches.

Fried peaches - something I've never tried. Is there anything special about preparing them or is it just a pat of butter and a hot frypan?

 

[NotWise]

Fried peaches - something I've never tried. Is there anything special about preparing them or is it just a pat of butter and a hot frypan?

I've never done it, either. The recipes I've looked at include sugar sprinkled on the peach while or after it's fried in butter. I was imaging a maple syrup glaze, but that's just my imagination.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Hmm. Something to investigate. Thanks.

 

[Handley_Page]

Well, the weather men said on Thursday last that we'd likely have a hot weekend.
Well, we've had Some Warm stuff, but no blistering sunshine as was implied.
And as I write this, it is trying to rain and has gone dead cool.
It now thus meets the requirements of an "English Summer".

Any chance of a hot cup of tea please ?

 

[TxRad]

Good afternoon.

HM & HG are headed out. I expect to hear they have arrived at HM's mothers house at any moment. It is real quiet around here. No one giggling or crawling around under my desk. No one laughing as they wrestling around on the couch, bed, or floor. *Sigh*

Fresh coffee for the afternoon crowd. It is overcast, around 90, with some rain forecast for later this afternoon or early tonight.

I hear a nap trying to slip up on me.

 

[Javahead]

I hear a nap trying to slip up on me.

Yours slip up on you? Mine ambush me, but run away and hide when I want one.

 

[TxRad]

Yours slip up on you? Mine ambush me, but run away and hide when I want one.

I think at my age, I don't move around enough or too fast so ambushes become boring for them. They slip in under my chair and jump up on me when i lean back to think about part of a story.

You have to use reverse psychology on naps when you want one. They are cage little devils.

We're getting little showers occasionally so far. I'm glad the ladies left early and missed it all.

Fresh coffee for the mid afternooner crowd that doesn't want or need a nap.

 

[Handley_Page]

My naps sometimes catch me by surprise. Sitting on the sofa watching TV, and Bang !

But now it is time for a cup of Tea.

 

[TxRad]

It must be time for the fresh evening coffee. Supper will be leftovers from last night. Yum!

Two more days of rain predicted. Two dry days and then three more rain days. Interesting. I need three dry days befire i can cut the yard again. I can almost see it growing.

A short nap and some writing. So I think I'll do supper and see if there is more writing in the future or maybe another nap. Rain does make me sleepy.

 

[Handley_Page]

Gloomy & cloud-laden skies.
Time for an encouraging coffee

 

[NotWise]

The National Senior Games are all over town right now, and the weather is putting its best foot forward. There's not a cloud in the sky.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Day 13 of house renovations. Steady steam of strangers in my house, disturbing my wa. Another week to go.

At the risk of sacrilege, Tex, hold the coffee, pass the gin...

 

[NotWise]

Day 13 of house renovations. Steady steam of strangers in my house, disturbing my wa. Another week to go.

At the risk of sacrilege, Tex, hold the coffee, pass the gin...

I hope the results justify the trouble.

They're remodelling the old bank on the floor below my office. It sounds like they're still in the heavy destruction phase.

 

[Handley_Page]

I hope the results justify the trouble.

They're remodelling the old bank on the floor below my office. It sounds like they're still in the heavy destruction phase.

A bit tricky when you're on the 'phone, I'm thinking.

Time for more Coffee

 

[TxRad]

Yeah, it's Moanday. Or at least I hope it is.

TP, we're out of Gin but there is half a bottle of Tequila. Just be sure and read the warming labels. Tequila is notorious for making peoples clothes fall off. It also increases pregnancy risks by 200%. Use with care with construction workers around.

Well, it rained its happy litle ass off from 2AM to around 5:30 this morning. Lots and lots of lightning. Not the normal vertical lightning but horizontal. Long, long rumbles of thunder. I wanted to sleep and Mother Nature had other ideas. Guess who won.

Fresh coffee for the nooner crowd. You know who you are.

 

[Javahead]

Drinking a mug of espresso ('cause a even a double shot isn't enough).

Went on a major tear over the weekend - added about 10K words to my current story, but was too close to it to decide if they advanced the story or were just massive bloat. Went to bed convinced it was all bovine emissions.

Got up this morning and did a quick re-read. Decided that most of the story does what I want, and I'm happy with the writing. Just need to chop off all the unnecessary detail and added side-characters that show up in the last 5K and replace with a few transition paragraphs. My task for tonight.

Amazing how much better things look in the morning with a cup of coffee in hand. Lesson I'm still learning: just because it exists in the back story, or seems interesting, doesn't mean you need to use it.

 

[NotWise]

Amazing how much better things look in the morning with a cup of coffee in hand. Lesson I'm still learning: just because it exists in the back story, or seems interesting, doesn't mean you need to use it.

I make up a lot of back story. I feel like I understand the character better that way, but a lot of it never makes it into the story. But then some does, and it changes the story. That happened in "Watch Me!"

 

[Handley_Page]

TP, we're out of Gin but there is half a bottle of Tequila. Just be sure and read the warming labels. Tequila is notorious for making peoples clothes fall off. It also increases pregnancy risks by 200%. Use with care with construction workers around.

Well, it rained its happy litle ass off from 2AM to around 5:30 this morning. Lots and lots of lightning. Not the normal vertical lightning but horizontal. Long, long rumbles of thunder. I wanted to sleep and Mother Nature had other ideas. Guess who won.

Fresh coffee for the nooner crowd. You know who you are.

Better warn Molly about the Tequila, I reckon.

It's soggy, and dark, humid and getting warm.
I reckon that any time in the next 12 hours we are going to have a real storm.

Oh what fun !

Time, I think, for a brew.

 

[Voboy]

I make up a lot of back story. I feel like I understand the character better that way, but a lot of it never makes it into the story. But then some does, and it changes the story. That happened in "Watch Me!"

This was what gave Tolkien such depth. EVERYTHING in LOTR has a backstory. The Hobbit, too; there’s a passing reference to Gondolin when they’re grabbing swords out of the Troll-hoard, and as any Tolkien aficionado knows, The Fall of Gondolin was the first thing JRRT wrote. Only about 20 years passed until he used the reference in The Hobbit.

I’m no Tolkien, but I feel having backstories gives my characters a little more realism.

Pass the coffee, please. Black is fine.

 

[TxRad]

Better warn Molly about the Tequila, I reckon.

It's soggy, and dark, humid and getting warm.
I reckon that any time in the next 12 hours we are going to have a real storm.

Oh what fun !

Time, I think, for a brew.

I'm pretty sure Molly knows all about tequila and then some.

Wet and cloudy this morning. Bright and sunny this afternoon. More steam bath than anything. The grass is laughing maniacally as it grows.

Hot chocolate for me this afternoon but I'll make fresh coffee for any and all.

Back story, front story, side story, even back back story if it adds to the depth of the story. One of the few places that looks like it should come under the KISS principle but doesn't in MHO.

 

[Javahead]

Back story, front story, side story, even back back story if it adds to the depth of the story. One of the few places that looks like it should come under the KISS principle but doesn't in MHO.

Two mugs of espresso in, I've switched to tea for the rest of the day. Warm day - should have cold-brewed some coffee last night to make iced coffee instead.

I may have done a poor job of explaining - back story adds depth. Having it shape the character's actions is good. Bringing it explicitly into the story when it adds needed depth is good. But including reams of back story that side track the story just because you have it probably isn't the best idea.

For instance:

"At breakfast, Susan ate her melon and eggs but pushed the bacon aside."

The reason may be clear from earlier in the story (Susan may be on a diet, or had a huge meal the night before).

It may be clear in the back story (Susan may be a vegetarian, or Muslim, or Jewish, or just doesn't like the taste of pork, or is pregnant and this is the first hint of morning sickness)

Or, maybe, it's just a throwaway line to add a little apparent depth.

But unless it's A) relevant to story and B) is best added at this point, it doesn't need to be detailed in full.

Usually, even if relevant, things like this work as a sort Chekhov's gun - later on, we find that Susan is pregnant, or was suffering from the first effects of the subtle poison her romantic rival introduced to attempt to eliminate her, or whatever. And we realize that yes, all the clues were there for us.

And if it's not relevant, is the story served by detailing in full how since she was 14 years old Susan has avoided eating animals that in her estimation are too intelligent to ethically eat, and how she decided that pigs are too smart, cows are OK, and sheep count as vegetables?

 

[Voboy]

Two mugs of espresso in, I've switched to tea for the rest of the day. Warm day - should have cold-brewed some coffee last night to make iced coffee instead.

I may have done a poor job of explaining - back story adds depth. Having it shape the character's actions is good. Bringing it explicitly into the story when it adds needed depth is good. But including reams of back story that side track the story just because you have it probably isn't the best idea.

For instance:

"At breakfast, Susan ate her melon and eggs but pushed the bacon aside."

The reason may be clear from earlier in the story (Susan may be on a diet, or had a huge meal the night before).

It may be clear in the back story (Susan may be a vegetarian, or Muslim, or Jewish, or just doesn't like the taste of pork, or is pregnant and this is the first hint of morning sickness)

Or, maybe, it's just a throwaway line to add a little apparent depth.

But unless it's A) relevant to story and B) is best added at this point, it doesn't need to be detailed in full.

Usually, even if relevant, things like this work as a sort Chekhov's gun - later on, we find that Susan is pregnant, or was suffering from the first effects of the subtle poison her romantic rival introduced to attempt to eliminate her, or whatever. And we realize that yes, all the clues were there for us.

And if it's not relevant, is the story served by detailing in full how since she was 14 years old Susan has avoided eating animals that in her estimation are too intelligent to ethically eat, and how she decided that pigs are too smart, cows are OK, and sheep count as vegetables?

Ah.

Forgot to mention: what gives JRRT its depth is that he DIDN’T spell out all his backstory. It was simply there, lurking. You could “feel” it.

I get that feeling from guys like Stephen King and Irvine Welsh, too. It’s very gratifying.

 

[PoisonPen33]

I just discovered that my wife and I have been "press-ganged" into traveling to New Orleans next summer with a group of friends. It happened all of a sudden, but I've never been to New Orleans so I'm looking forward to it.

I can get into traveling/tourist/drinking/French Quarter shape in a year, right?

 

[TxRad]

I just discovered that my wife and I have been "press-ganged" into traveling to New Orleans next summer with a group of friends. It happened all of a sudden, but I've never been to New Orleans so I'm looking forward to it.

I can get into traveling/tourist/drinking/French Quarter shape in a year, right?

I lived in New Orleans, mostly in the French Quarter. All the tourists were in a shape. Mostly round but then again that is an easy shape to get in. Lots of things to see and do and they are mostly close together. Be careful wandering around the Quarter at night. Some areas aren't as safe as others.

Fresh coffee for the evening crowd.

Time to see what I can catch for supper.

 

[NotWise]

I can get into traveling/tourist/drinking/French Quarter shape in a year, right?

You might want to plan your days so that you're inside in the heat of the afternoon. Summertime in NO can be oppressively hot and humid.